STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The MTA's interim head said the agency is not considering re-opening the "old" South Ferry station so it can focus on getting trains rolling in the new station ahead of the three-year timetable set for its reconstruction.

Interim Executive Director Tom Prendergast told the Advance Wednesday that the MTA -- with funding now in place -- is working to restore basic subway service to the station, even if behind-the-scenes work needs to continue long afterwards. "There are ways to restore service before the work is completed," he said.

How much sooner might the trains be rolling into South Ferry, which was swamped with 15 million gallons of seawater from Hurricane Sandy? Prendergast did not want to give a date. But he cited a Staten Island example that will hearten South Ferry commuters: The Staten Island Railway, he noted, suffered devastation to its St. George signal system and equipment damage from Sandy.

Despite initial talk that it would take until March to restore full service, it was actually restored by mid-December, except for a pair of minor schedule adjustments. Behind-the-scenes work to restore the Railway will continue for the foreseeable future, and commuters will encounter some occasional delays. That's unavoidable given the scope of the damage.

No one is talking about an imminent return to service at the new South Ferry station, but he sees a similar dynamic at play: Get the riders back on the trains as quickly as possible, before the cosmetic or behind-the-scenes work is completed.

Predergast said it would require a huge effort to re-open the decommissioned old station -- and that would not doubt affect efforts to get trains back into the new station before 2016.

The old station was shut down in 2009 when the new one opened, and there was never any consideration that it would be placed back in service, he said. Means of access have been altered or shut down. Significant rebuilding and construction work would be required to make it accessible once again to passengers.

The bottom line: "It would divert resources away from how fast we could get the new South Ferry up and restored," he said.

Staten Island's representative to the MTA board, Allen P. Cappelli, also spoke with Prendergast Wednesday and said he received a promise that the MTA would formalize its assessment and plan to rebuild South Ferry.

"I was pleased to get that commitment, and I -- and all Staten Islanders --
await their response, because I want a plan in place that we can hold
them accountable for. Now is the time to get that plan."

Prendergast is due in Albany Thursday for a joint Legislative budget hearing that will cover state transportation issues, according to the office of Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island). Cusick is among the Island elected officials who will attend. ---Follow @siadvance on Twitter